Lakeland Couple Faces 171 Felony Fraud Charges

A Lakeland couple faces 171 felony counts, including aggravated white collar crime and scheming to defraud, after depositing checks from the woman's employer worth $68,940 into their personal account.

By KEVIN BOUFFARDTHE LEDGER

LAKELAND | A Lakeland couple faces 171 felony counts, including aggravated white collar crime and scheming to defraud, after depositing checks from the woman's employer worth $68,940 into their personal account.Hugh and Cari Ann Feder of 3103 Panther Drive were being held in the Polk County Jail on Monday after their arrests Thursday following a nearly seven-month investigation by the Lakeland Police Department. Both also face two felony counts of money laundering more than $20,000 and 167 counts of uttering (circulating) a forged instrument. Cari Feder, 37, faces an additional 167 felony counts of forgery.The couple is accused of depositing 167 checks from Advantage Title Services Inc., where Cari Feder worked, into their own account at Publix Employees Federal Credit Union in Lakeland over two years ending in January.The checks were intended for Advantage clients due a refund following an audit of their property closings, according to a Lakeland police report.Clients "aren't aware they're going to get a refund check until the closing is audited," Detective Steve Strickland of the Lakeland Police Criminal Investigations Section, the chief investigator on the case, said Monday. "Mrs. Feder was in charge of those audits."Lakeland police reports gave the following account of events leading to the Feders' arrests.A Publix credit union teller questioned a $995 Advantage Title check made out to one of its clients but deposited overnight Jan. 15 to the Feders' account. Her supervisor found a notice on the couple's account that required management approval of all deposited checks.The supervisor contacted Cari Feder about the check. Feder responded, the supervisor told police, that "she did work on the side for this title company, and the check was compensation for work that she had done."Another credit union employee contacted Denise Brown, owner of Advantage Title, to verify Feder's story. Brown disputed the story and came to the credit union office to examine the $995 check."Brown advised the check was a good check but that (Cari Feder) and (Hugh Feder, 43) were not authorized to deposit the check into their savings account," the police report said.A credit union audit found 267 Advantage Title checks deposited into the Feders' account beginning Jan. 7, 2011. All the checks had a forged endorsement in the recipient's name plus a signature by Hugh or Cari Feder.The credit union contacted Lakeland police.Brown told police Cari Feder oversaw closings and all audits of closings at Advantage Title. If an audit determined the client should receive a refund, the check would be turned over to Feder, the only employee authorized to mail the checks during the two-year time frame.Clients would not have known they were entitled to a refund, Brown told police.The 267 checks were deposited either in an overnight drop box or the ATM. Police obtained photos showing both Hugh and Cari Feder deposited checks.Advantage Title sent affidavits to all victims and received responses concerning 167 checks totaling $51,189. All stated they had not signed the checks or given the Feders authorization to do so."More (affadavits) are still coming in," Stickland said."Some may not want to co-operate with the investigation," added Sgt. Gary Gross, a Lakeland police spokesman.Cari Feder was fired Jan. 15 after more than nine years with Advantage Title, Brown told The Ledger on Monday. The company is in the process of reimbursing clients for the refunds."We are doing everything possible to handle this unfortunate situation," Brown said.The investigation is continuing, said Gross and Strickland, who declined to rule out that others were involved.

[ Kevin Bouffard can be reached at kevin.bouffard@theledger.com or at 863-401-6980. ]

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